On behalf of Chisumbanje
villagers, on behalf of the Platform for Youth Development, and on my
own behalf, I feel humbled to have been accorded this opportune moment
to join the debate that we have become bystanders and observers for a
long time despite being directly involved with the issues.

This paper seeks to
reveal and discuss the controversy surrounding Chisumbanje Ethanol Project
with the view to highlight the challenges that have led to its closure
and "purported" politicisation of issues by the company directorate
and the politics of the inclusive government of Zimbabwe. This paper will
argue that the investor has lost focus and submitted herself to the caprices
of the politics of the political parties, thereby losing support from
stakeholders. At a glance, the project divides ZANU PF and MDC, Minister
of Energy and Minister of Agriculture, Villagers and the Company, Business
and politics, perceptions and reality, etc. This paper has arrived at
a conclusion that the project has been hijacked by political and partisan
players who are bullish and capitalistic therefore divisive and incapable
of attracting co-existence from the villagers and the inclusive government
of Zimbabwe.

This presentation
shall rely more from the experiences of the presenter, who is part of
the affected community in Chisumbanje as well as research and advocacy
work carried out by Platform for Youth Development, where the presenter
is a Director.

I agree that Chisumbanje
Ethanol Project is a project good for the country, with the capacity to
change the livelihood of many people. However, the activities and administration
of the project is characterised by controversy that makes it very difficult
for Zimbabweans to be optimistic that the project was brought to benefit
the nation, if not the individual interests of the company directorate
and their secretive shareholders. The project has failed to attract enough
good will to convince local stakeholders of its capacity to be a national
project meant to contribute positively to the development of the country.

The project has relied
more on the personalities of well-known political and partisan persons
who employ political tactics at the expense of business. These controversial
names linked to the project may not have become issues if the company
management had made effort to be consultative as well as representing
truthful facts about their operations.

It is very disturbing
that the company has been on a propaganda crusade to provide facts that
Chisumbanje Ethanol Project is a 600 million dollar project. When challenged
to prove the costs, it has become apparent that the real cost could be
far less than that. The company has been telling the whole world that
they employ 5 000 employees of which the majority are locals, facts that
have only been found in press statements and media houses. As if that
is not enough, the project has failed to co-exist with the local community
where the company management have connived with the local police officers
to arrest and victimise all those who dare challenge their operations
(including the presenter).

This paper shall reveal
that the villagers in Chisumbanje are concerned that the investor has
made them even poorer as opposed to the propaganda that life has improved
for them. Villagers who have been successful and celebrated cotton farmers
were not given chance to adjust into sugarcane farming which is being
imposed on them. While it has now been proven beyond any doubt that the
project is operating beyond ARDA's boundary, the company has been
making spirited denials and unintelligent claims that they were operating
within the boundaries. Villagers have been disadvantaged out of their
communal land for four farming seasons, with the company ruthlessly ploughing
down ready crops on the strength that it was within their jurisdiction.
This superiority and masochistic behaviour has made engagements and collaborations
difficult, where relations have become confrontational. The villagers
ended up seeking intervention from the courts and government to avoid
direct confrontation with the investor. Now that the government is involved,
a satisfying intervention is awaited.

The investor, while
employing a small number from the local community, denies these employees
the liberty to form worker's committees and join trade unions of
their choice. This has assisted the employer to exploit the workers who
are daily intimidated to hate their brothers who are advocating for their
freedom and good labour practises. This is quite unacceptable since it
is manipulative and taking advantage of their poverty and vulnerability.

The company has not
been able to provide their environmental impact assessment report, allaying
fears that they might not have formally engaged the regulating authority
like EMA.Villagers have lost their livestock due to poisoned water from
the wastes from the plant, when Jerawachera River was polluted. If the
investor claims to have complied, this should be substantiated by making
the report public. This is the only way forward on the matter. The report
will help to evaluate their social and environmental proposed interventions.

The villagers commend
intervention by government through the creation of an Inter-Ministerial
committee. The committee chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister Professor
Arthur Mutambara has produced a report.
This report vindicates our advocacy as an organisation, and most of the
grievances by the Chisumbanje community. The company has been advised
to work with an independent committee as opposed to a handpicked team
of political and partisan persons from the community. The report is also
clear that a compensation framework should be put into place as a precondition
for a holistic engagement with other key stakeholders.

The Inter-Ministerial
committee report agrees with our advocacy that the relationship between
the investor and ARDA was not friendly but meant to side step the local
community and the government. The recommendation to change the problematic
Build Operate and Transfer (B.O.T) to a Joint Venture (J.V) deal as a
precondition for mandatory blending is not satisfactory but acceptable.

This paper expresses
concern that the investor has not shown any respect for the cabinet report.
Instead of adopting the holistic approach that engages with the government
and the community as stakeholders, the investor has started going against
the resolution by among other things bribing traditional leaders, paying
the most vocal political players some stipends and define that as compensation.

This flagrant disrespect for a cabinet report is a clear sign that the
company is not interested in co existence but part of the bigger politics
in the country.

The company has remained
political and partisan therefore will only be given cooperation after
meeting up to key demands of mutual benefit and co existence with the
local community. While the Inter- Ministerial committee report has allowed
a progressive movement, strong monitoring is needed to pressure the company
to comply with cabinet recommendations.

Claris Madhuku is
the Director of Platform for Youth Development Trust(PYD).This paper was
presented on the 12th of October 2012 in Mutare at a discussion forum
organised by Mutare Press Club, where the presenter was sharing a podium
with Basil Nyabadza who is the Board Chairman of ARDA and is also a ZANU
PF cadre.